A/N: And I'm back, SkyKnight/drake202 commissioned another chapter for me to write and for all of you to enjoy.

Time for responses:

AvirRapter: Thank you for your patience, and I'm glad you enjoyed it, no matter how short it may be.

Anyway, here's the chapter I initially thought was going to be way shorter. Enjoy.

A 'stress test' is what Tester called it; she could've called it all-out-war for all Purifier cared, and she still would've been bored out of her mind.

"Ahhh! So bored~." The Siren whined, "Why didn't she tell Observer to do this? I'm not built for this."

She understood why this was needed, with the new variable that's designated itself as the 'Commander of Azur Lane', they knew nothing about it. They knew he was human with a strange, if not almost futuristic jet, something that shouldn't have been invented yet. Like others, Purifier was specially built for certain acts and was programmed similarly, she loved to fight and loved to learn by fighting.

Humans say that the best way to understand someone is by fighting, and Purifier embodied that perfectly. That's how they were created after all, to learn. It could even be said that all the Sirens like them are representative of it.

Purifier learned best through combat, Observer, well, observed, Tester tests, and all the other Sirens are similar.

So, to be the one to 'observe' a 'test' when leading has never been her strong suit is a bit strange. Though in a way, it made sense.

"If he can't even endure an assault from me with all these mooks, then I might as well hit him from here." She said, her rigging shifting behind her in response to her words while she giggled, her eyes translating what she saw until she could see the ships coming her way and the man on the bridge of the Long Island.

She could see him, blonde, blue-eyed, with a slight tan, and his eyes narrowed forward. All she needed was a single shot, and his body wouldn't even shift, much less cause a mess. He would fall, headless, lifeless, and a-.

He turned and looked straight at her. His eyes narrowed, squinting in the distance as his eyes moved in an attempt to get a good look at her.

She didn't move, feeling as if her chest was tightening in on itself in sheer shock. He continued to look until Long Island tugged at him, and he nodded.

She could see her move, jogging out of the bridge of her ship and then hopping over the edge and onto the sea, where she skated along it with ease, ingrained into them since creation.

Still, Purifier's mouth widened, tightening into a grin that had her cackling. She, like many of her fellow Sirens, can see things better than others, and like the KANSEN, she can understand authority very well. Probably even better with their nature.

She had her orders, but she sorely doubted they would do much, granted, they weren't meant to do much.

"What will you be, I wonder?" She asked, her voice soft while she giggled maniacally, resting forward with her palm on her hand. "And what are you hiding…?"

The mass-produced Siren ships began to move under her will, bearing down on the two Kansen moving forward confidently.

She could see him make his way away from the port to somewhere else, probably communication towers.

The siren is getting on her nerves.

She paused and threw her head back, laughing, "Ahahaha, oh! I get it. A siren for a Siren. Finally, I always wondered why that bothered me."

The alarm blared all over the base, one that everyone knew intimately, both out of practice and necessity. Enterprise removed her blanket and pondered whether she should leave while still in her pajamas or not, but decided against it. While the alarms were going off, she changed into her clothes, wondering how many were outside ye-.

Alex.

The reason why the Sirens attacked was obvious; worst, he doesn't know how to fight Sirens. Slipping her cap over her head, she called out, "Grimm!"

Her eagle followed her out of her room, the other KANSEN doing the same as they filed out and the alarm finally stopped blaring while all of them were headed to the port.

She was about to charge in, but choked when her legs nearly went ahead of her, someone grabbing the hem of her jacket before she looked. "Whoa." That was all Alex said before letting go of her coat, allowing her to balance herself before huffing.

"What are you doing here, those are Sirens-." Enterprise began while Alex brought up some binoculars with a hum, looking in the distance.

"So it seems. Long Island and Laffey are there. They'll be fine." He said, waving her off, to her shock and outrage. "I'm used to alien shenanigans, and these shenanigans are the furthest thing from it. They almost seem like they're going easy on us."

"What do you-?" She asked and looked again. She couldn't argue against what he said, they seem to be baiting a reaction, Enterprise intimate with the range Siren Battleships have and their Aircraft Carriers. "… You're right." She noted while Alex's eyes narrowed.

Bringing the binoculars up, he added, "Go and help organize the others." He said, glancing back to see some KANSEN walking around, lost and clearly outside of their pre-determined squads in emergencies. "I'd do it myself, but I've been here for all of one day. I've told Long Island to scout out their numbers and Laffey to slow her approach. Should buy enough time to spring the trap."

"What trap?" Enterprise asked, narrowing her eyes at the formation of Siren ships heading their way. Destroyers and Cruisers surrounding a Battleship with an Aircraft Carrier in the back. The Destroyers are there to attack first as a spear, drive a wedge, and leave the island open for bombardment from either the Battleship or Aircraft Carrier. The Cruisers are there to protect the Battleship and Aircraft Carrier. "There's nothing there."

"Exactly." Alex pointed out before his eyes narrowed. "They're heading to us directly with two very notable targets. We go after the Carrier, we get bombarded by the Battleship. We hit the Battleship, the Aircraft Carrier will release its planes. It's straightforward and anyone would go at it with confidence that it'll be a collision."

Enterprise nodded, understanding the idea. A simple naval battle. One side is defending, and the other is attacking. "Do you think it's a diversion?"

"I don't know what to think." He huffed while lowering his binoculars, glaring in the distance. "I've led Naval battles before, but it's barely my first day here. I'd rather be safe than sorry with things like these. But everyone's disorganized." He said pointedly before looking at her dryly. "Which I'm fairly sure I told you to do so in place of my inexperienced self?"

"Sir, I believe I'd be better suited to assist Long Island and Laffey," Enterprise answered while looking at Alex.

"No can do. You barely got back, right?" He noted while looking at the slowly moving mass-produced Siren ships. "You need to rest, besides…"

Enterprise saw him trail off, even with the frustration bubbling up. "Commander?"

"If this isn't a diversion, then that means this is either an attack or a test. Since this seems too weak for an attack, it means that it's a test. Which would mean someone or something is proctoring it. Tell me, what would a proctor do if you're caught cheating on a test?"

"Shut down the test," Enterprise answered, less frustrated.

"Yeah, with your strength and experience, this would be a cakewalk." He noted, "But if this is a diversion, that means something is out there waiting and looking to attack, and we have one too many people too willing to jump in to fight a visible enemy when there's a chance of an invisible one. Your experience is better suited to taking care of things like that at the moment, not to mention that your presence would probably be counted as 'cheating' and will cause the person 'proctoring' this test to shut it down, and I'd rather not know what that would entail." He added under his breath before continuing, "So go and work with Prince of Wales to get the people organized and start flanking while looking for any traps. The Sirens aren't the only enemy we have to worry about, after all."

Enterprise took his words and nodded, "Understood, Commander."

"Also," he added as an afterthought, "tell Portland that she'll be working elsewhere. Indianapolis seems to have gotten there before anyone else."

Enterprise watched the form of Indianapolis move to join Long Island and Laffey before scrunching her face. "… Got it." It was not going to be an easy thing to do, at least. "Look for the Main Ships, probably the Battleship or the Aircraft Carrier," she suggested, "if they go down, the rest will disconnect from whatever system the Sirens use and will be easy pickings."

"Got it," Alex said, smiling with a nod. "I'm gonna go and move somewhere that isn't so easily identifiable." He said before the two separated, moving in different directions to their destinations.

As she began to make her way, she began to note something. People. He referred to them as 'people', not KANSEN.

Maybe it was a slip of the tongue, but it says a lot about who he is. Now that she paid attention, she could feel various KANSEN hailing her in the confusion and chaos while she tuned into Hornet.

"Enterprise!" Hornet yelled, nearly bursting Enterprise's ear, "Wait for me, I'll-."

"Negative, Hornet," Enterprise said, sighing. "Commander gave his orders. Leave the Sirens to him. I'll organize the Task Forces. This is either a diversion, a test, or an attack. If it's the first one, it's our job to look for it."

For a second, Hornet didn't answer, which worried Enterprise as she asked, "Hornet?"

"Ah, sorry." Hornet said, clearly sheepish, "I just didn't expect you to listen to the Commander if he told you to stay back."

Enterprise frowned, nearing a pout as she noted, "You were there when he told us about his qualifications, you felt the same thing. Besides, it's not like the reasons were unreasonable, if there's an ambush, I'm probably the most qualified to intercept it."

"Well, I'll take what I can get." Hornet relinquished before asking, "So, where am I going?"

"Take the North side, they're coming from the West so make sure we don't miss anything." She said before she cut the connection and answered the next one.

Prince of Wales was the far from the first to reach the edge of the port where the Mass-Produced Siren ships were visible, but she was the first to bring up the possibility of it being an ambush and bean to act on that thought. Organizing the KANSEN to inspect the areas around them in their predetermined groups.

Which was where the confusion started, some made their own groups, others went out on their own, it was a mess, but not one Prince of Wales didn't think would happen.

Things only began to organize themselves once Enterprise joined her in organizing the fleets to look for possible ambushes.

Many of the other KANSEN moved as reserves should the Commander need it.

Alex Walker… the man who is now their Commander and will lead them in his first fight. She was one of the first to see his capability through his rank, different it might be, but she still felt anxious and apprehensive. Where was he? Had he been hit yet? Why were they all focusing on searching for ambushes rather than taking the fight to them?

They were all unprepared, now they can ether sink or they will fight to live another day. Weirdly enough, the ships were very clearly Siren in nature rather than some other form of ship from a different Navy. It made her curious why they would attack so overtly at such a time with such a small force?

Regardless, by the time she could hear the hum of the planes above, they could see Indianapolis and Laffey's main guns firing along with splashes. As a Battleship, she had other responsibilities, like leading her own Task Force once the Command Ship of the Sirens fell.

She stepped onto the water and began to skate with ease to the battle, slowly.

Indianapolis cut through the water, nothing like a Destroyer, lumbering as her status as a Heavy cruiser, but joining Laffey. "Permission to join." She asked, sending it to the group.

"Permission granted," Alex responded while Indianapolis joined Laffey as they got within range. "Welcome, Indianapolis, I'd greet you properly, but we're in a bit of a rush."

"Mmh." Indianapolis nodded, agreeing while she could hear Long Island sigh heavily.

"It's so early, why do the Sirens have to interrupt us so early in the morning?" She said, despite that, they could see dive bombers and fighter planes take to the sky in preparation to counter the Aircraft Carrier on the Siren's side.

"Meanies." Laffey agreed, despite that, her eyes were wide, and her entire pose was only reminiscent of the sleepy Destroyer. "Was going to be pampered by the Commander."

Indianapolis turned to the twin-tailed girl in interest before Alex cut through. "Look alive, Long Island, numbers?"

"Err…" Long Island hummed, "One Battleship, one Aircraft Carrier, three Destroyers, two Heavy Cruisers, and two Light Cruisers."

The Siren Destroyers began to peel away, and then the Battleship's main guns turned to them. "Commander-!" Indianapolis began.

"I see it." He cut through calmly, "You'll be fine, all of you are stronger than them. You're better. And you'll have as much time to do whatever you want for the rest of the day once they're piles of scrap."

His words ignited a fire in their hearts that even Indianapolis could feel, and even see with her fellow KANSEN. "Long Island, stay in the back row, make sure you have air superiority, Indianapolis, Laffey, you're going in first, intercept those Destroyers and watch out for the Battleship's main guns."

"Commander." Indianapolis began, "They're coming."

"Scat-."

Before he could say anything, Indianapolis felt the familiar pulsing through her Wisdom Cube, anxiety, elation, and more coalescing into her core before it burst when the Battleship's main guns did as well.

The salvo was directed right at her at the front before it stopped, bursting mid-flight along with the others, the air around her shimmering while a shield of spectral blue hexagons interlocked before that flickered, bursting while they continued.

For a second, the line was silent, the only thing that was heard was Portland's cheering from the port, which Indianapolis pointedly ignored in favor of pointing her guns forward.

Finally, Alex's voice cut through, "I really need to go through some of those reports before something like this happens again. Fire!"

Long Island's fighters began firing at the Siren's aircraft, the two trading fire and taking the skies for their own, leaving the seas to those on it.

"Deactivating self-imposed limiter." Laffey proclaimed and pointed, her guns firing when the Destroyers were within range. Their size hid the power behind them, while her torpedo tubes released their payload while they sailed forward, water splitting where it trailed.

Indianapolis simply took to the front and silently followed Laffey's example, her guns firing at the closest Destroyer.

Soon, the space between them was filled with whistling rounds and explosions.

Long Island was not a very active KANSEN, combat was her forte only when there was a controller in hand and a fighter on screen. Which is why she was perfect as an aircraft carrier.

Her fighters took to the sky, clashing with the Sirens' aircrafts, the wind blowing against her hair and loose clothes while Laffey and Indianapolis trade fire with the Destroyers who were looking to circumvent them and go after the port or her.

She gritted her teeth when one of her fighters went down, breaking apart into motes of light while more planes appeared on her runway. She was no Enterprise, much less the First Carrier Division of the Sakura, but she was still an aircraft carrier of the Eagle Union.

Her bombers flew off, flying off the runway with a hum, keeping her eye on her radar while she maneuvered them.

The Siren's aircrafts were always some of the hardest to fight, they didn't use the same material as theirs did, occasionally seemed to lack air restistance, and used a different source.

The idea was still the same. Hit the cockpit or hit the wings, so that's what she did, moving, circling the others while the Siren aircraft carrier did the same. "Geh." She grunted, noticing how it was circling the others in a counterclockwise direction, the opposite direction she was going.

Her fighters were starting to give as well, the aircraft of the Sirens far more advanced with far more experience than she had.

It was gradual, but she could feel the feeling in her core increase. Slowly filling up like a gauge while she directed her fighters to attempt to overwhelm the Siren's own.

It wasn't impossible, the two of them had similar rates of creation when it came to their aircrafts, it was their morals were things were different.

One of the spiraling fighters form the Siren spiraled, landing on Indianapolis' shield and causing it to flicker, leaving her open from a glancing shot from one of the Destroyers and nearly stumbling into a torpedo.

Their formation had yet to crumble, the damage minimal, but this wasn't working. The main guns of the battleship went off and she quickly slid around the shots, hitting the sea and kicking up water, splashing on her while she sucked in her lips.

Her Anti-air guns cracked once more, hitting some of the Siren aircraft and helping with the air, but she was starting to get worried.

Shaking her head, she felt it; the 'gauge' was full.

Quickly, she sent more fighters in the air, assisting with the ones that were already on the air and clashing with the Siren aircraft.

She needed a target. Her eyes roamed before a voice cracked through, "Long Island, hit the Destroyers."

With a swing of her hand, the bombers began to propel themselves forward.

A swathe of torpedoes slipped from her torpedo tubes, cutting through the water and missing, leaving Laffey to evade the retaliating rounds from the Destroyers.

She fired back, hitting the Destroyer but not taking it down before she slid around, dancing on water without grace but with much accuracy, her core pulsing with excitement while Indianapolis shot it with one of the main guns, slowing it down considerably while she tried to fire but was forced to step back.

"Airstrike incoming!" They heard Alex yell while Long Island's bomber dived in, depositing their payload in the direction of two Destroyers, before their bombs went off. The slow one went up in flames, exploding from the bombs, while another barely managed to turn a direct hit into a glancing blow, but still slowed it down.

She felt it, firing her main guns, the shot landed, and the fire in her stomach spread. "Condition: green… Let's go."

She was faster, closing the distance while firing her guns, her AA highlighting her form while gunning down Siren aircraft to assist Long Island, the time between her salvoes shortened considerably while her torpedoes were stronger. The Destroyer tried to move, but it was littered with holes a second later, bursting into flames and leaving them with one Destroyer. While the Battleship moved, its main guns swiveling, Laffey released her torpedos, cutting through the water before bursting, all three hitting the Battleship and causing damage.

Not enough, of course.

Laffey swiveled, the secondary guns aiming in her direction, one of the rounds clipping her shoulder before Indianapolis intervened, her shields up and spinning around her, and Laffey, due to how close they were.

A few rounds later, it dispelled and the two were off, the Heavy Cruisers moving forward while the Destroyer tried to harass them.

Indianapolis fired a salvo from her guns, kicking up mist while the Battleship began to move in an attempt to circumvent it.

Laffey slid forward, but an explosion kicked up sea water, her ears ringing while she got to her feet, aches and pain coursing through her before she shook her head. "Laffey is okay~."

She lazily brought her hand up while Long Island frantically apologized, "I'm sorry, the Light Cruisers are taking potshots and I'm getting distracted."

"Aircraft Carrier needs to go." Indianapolis summarized while taking a second to re-center herself. Rolling her shoulder.

"Look alive, they've got reinforcements!" Alex yelled while they turned and spotted more Siren ships moving in their direction. Though their decks exploded in flames and shrapnel, while the sound of the batteries of Battleships rang off behind them. "Skirmishes are happening around the area, but this is the only place with an Aircraft Carrier and Battleship. Sink the Battleship, then overwhelm the Carrier, got it?"

"Right." Long Island confirmed while Indianapolis wordlessly nodded.

"'Kay," Laffey responded, sliding forward while glaring at the singular Destroyer and two heavy Cruisers cutting through the waves with ease.

Hornet frowned, watching her task force cheer while the corpse of a mass-produced Siren ship sank under the waves.

It was too easy, like the attacks weren't actual attacks. If they were still clambering to re-organize themselves, this would've been a lot more damaging, not only for morale, but for anyone who was caught unaware without a task force.

She kicked away stray shrapnel while trying to piece it together. A focused attack before a series of attacks from various positions? No, they were spread thin, hiding with islands to mask their presence, and none of them were Battleships or Aircraft Carriers, usually the ones 'controlling' the smaller ships. But there were none.

"So, it was the main force." Hornet muttered, hearing some of the other KANSEN begin to call in their own sunken Sirens, "That was close."

If they weren't organized, this attack would have been a ploy that would have left all of them off guard and panicking, leading to mistakes and openings.

While 'impeccable' wouldn't be the right word, 'good' was closer, and as far as they cared, it was enough that they hadn't lost anyone yet.

Hornet heard Enterprise report in, as they all began to make their way back to port, taking different routes to make sure they didn't miss anything. It'd be embarrassing if they messed up because they were overconfident.

Looking up, she could see some of Long Island's fighters take to the sky along with bombers, making Hornet wonder how the three are doing. Shaking her head, she and the rest of her Task Force made their way back to base.

Alex didn't know enough, and it was driving him insane. Looking at the group fighting in open water, he frowned while the base's coastal artillery went off, taking care of the few Siren aircraft that miraculously made it through. Bringing up his binoculars, he could see Indianapolis's shield come up and take some of the fire from the Heavy Cruisers.

The smaller and faster girls moved like ballerinas on the water, reports coming in of singular ships waiting, hidden in the area, while he was focused on the fight between Laffey, Indianapolis, and Long Island.

It hadn't been too long, but they were holding their own pretty well. Not to mention all the strange abilities they were showing. He internally had to remind himself to go back and look through the reports on each one, who knows what else they're capable of that he doesn't know. Then, there were the Sirens, it'll be very important that he figures them out quickly.

He brings the radio up, narrowing his eyes before nodding. "Long Island, next chance you get, release your bombers and take down the Battleship."

"Okay." The KANSEN responded, a second later, bombers moving from the runway beside her as they release their payloads.

The Battleship breaks under the force, exploding and sending smoke up, while the three move to intercept the Aircraft Carrier. Indianapolis at the front, followed by Laffey and then Long Island.

The remaining ship, consisting of a single Heavy Cruiser tries to follow them, but Laffey turned, releasing a salvo followed by torpedoes. The salvo hit, rounds piercing its hull and the torpedos worsening the damage, exploding while the three moved.

The airspace was congested with gunfire and planes, strafing around each other, the Light Cruiser's defending the Aircraft Carrier assisting with their AA guns. Long Island released another wave of fighters while Laffey and Indianapolis' AA guns came to life.

Lowering the binoculars, he looked around, his instinct telling him that something was looking at him. When you have something like Yuri walking around, a literal mind-controlling man, you learn that it's best to trust your instincts. It's been bothering him this entire time.

He's been glancing back and forth to his Excalibur; no alarms have gone off, so no one has touched it yet, but he's being paranoid. Shaking his head, he brought his binoculars up one more time.

It's the last fight, time to get cautious.

AA rang all around them, the hits getting more numerous while the Light Cruisers had Indianapolis and Laffey distracted. Long Island was focusing on the sky, barely able to pay attention lest her concentration slip and have the steadily slipping aerial battles turn in the favor of the Sirens.

There was only so much the planes she had could take, and it was beginning to become a stalemate, in other words, the Siren's side. If she lets a stalemate happen, she won't be able to assist with airstrikes or bombing runs, despite her status, she is still an aircraft carrier. A ship that's seen as the next stage of warfare that will one day replace battleships according to the scientists.

Still, this fighting…

"Long Island," Alex said through the radio, "how finely can you control each plane?" He asked, and Long Island tilted her head.

"If I want, I can hold practice all by myself and have each one reach a grade that I choose while making it seem like they were moving on their own." She answered, having one of them barrel roll away and another chase behind it, gunning them down easily before he nodded.

"Impressive, alright, try this…" He explained the maneuver to her while she imagined it in her mind.

As she attempted the maneuver, she remembered that the Commander was part of the Army's airborne division. If there's anyone who knows planes and how they flew, it was probably Alex; even some of the other KANSEN didn't know the intricacies of their planes beyond the instinctual understanding that came with being an aircraft carrier.

Slowly, she listened to the Commander, each move, each maneuver, each description spoken with the ease of someone who has done them. Who had taken to the sky and came back victorious, dominating it like they did the seas.

It wasn't immediate, the Sirens falling gradually, but with ease.

Now, she could feel it in her core, the pulsing.

"Wait," Alex ordered, and she did.

Waiting for the right moment.

Indianapolis had experience with Light Cruisers.

Granted, it's in the form of sparring with her sister, which usually devolved into her either conceding or being unable to fight because of one reason or another, but she's getting off track.

A shot glanced off of her, the large mechanical hands hovering around her keeping her from taking any direct hits while she slid around it, her main guns firing off while she waited for her shields to return. Each shot either glanced off or had a direct impact, leaving holes on the hull of the Light Cruiser while it was beginning to slow down.

Despite that, she had to activate her shield lest a bomb from a bomber take her out of commission. The two shields were spinning around her while she allowed herself to get a bit reckless, tanking the shots to send more back to finish things quickly. She skated around them and fired round after round, clicking her tongue while looking at the Carrier.

Her guns moved, pointing in the direction of the Carrier before firing all her guns in her direction. From main, to secondary, and even her AA, she unloaded everything she could into the Aircraft Carrier, and while it was still standing, the damage was obvious while she evaded fire from the Cruiser, her guns reloading while she waited, weaving in and out, slower than Laffey, faster then Long Island, but far more capable of taking hits due to her thicker armor.

A round whistled by her while she was close, hitting the shields before they burst in a circle around her, damaging the Light Cruiser and causing it to almost hesitate for a second.

Without a second thought, she aimed her reloaded main guns and secondary guns, each round expelled in a burst of flames before bursting once they hit the hull, leaving gaping holes on it and through it while she narrowed her eyes in focus. She fired another salvo, the cruiser stubbornly standing upright before she followed with another salvo that the ship finally burst and began to sink.

Turning, she waited for a second, looking up and nodding. It seemed like Long Island managed to regain air superiority. All her weapons were reloaded, it was a bit worrying that her ammunition was a bit low, but with a quick count, even if she did miss a few shots, she would be fine. Though, she was hoping that things wouldn't get desperate any time soon.

She regained her breath and sped up, evading a run from a Siren fighter before firing at the Aircraft Carrier.

"Good work, Indianapolis," Alex said before Indianapolis hummed.

"Indy." Indianapolis retorted while Alex didn't answer for a second.

"Excuse me?" He asked.

"Indy is my nickname. You can call me that." She reiterated while Alex paused for a second and nodded.

"Alright, Indy, great work. Laffey is just about finishing up."

At his words, Indianapolis turned to see Laffey.

Destroyers weren't meant to perform combat in close quarters; after all, torpedoes need time to set unless they explode in your face. Of course, Laffey didn't care about that, and the people who decided that probably never thought their ship would grow legs, skate on water, and be short.

Here she is, taking a Light Cruiser in close naval combat. The constant din of AA guns in the background while her main guns fired into the hull, sliding around the water, kicking up mist while evading retaliatory rounds, splashing water all over the place, and occasionally obscuring her sight, not enough to miss the giant Siren ship right in front of her, though.

She weaved in between gunfire, quicker than the cruiser while retaliating with her own, while the feeling of all her guns being reloaded coursed through her. She circled the Siren Cruiser, releasing torpedoes and salvoes of rounds through the hull of the ship in front of her from all main, secondary, and even AA guns, the torpedos bursting as they hit, and the ship followed, sinking under its weight while a pillar of smoke burst through.

"Well done, Laffey." Alex said, causing Laffey to perk up and preen before he added, "It's not over, though. Take a second and join Indy and Long Island. Let's end this."

Laffey inwardly noted the use of Indianapolis' nickname and nodded. "Right, Commander."

Under the fire of Siren aircraft being countered by Long Island, she runs a quick check of herself while reloading her guns. Torpedoes were running short, and her ammunition could be better.

It'd be enough. "Ready." She said, skating in Indianapolis' direction, who had already finished hers, while they made their way to the final ship. An Aircraft Carrier, they could see Long Island's fighters take to the sky, fighting desperately to get an avenue to airstrike the carrier with little success.

Unlike the surroundings, the defenses around the Carrier were solid, with Long Island lacking the experience and technique to be able to pierce it or circumvent it, while Alex lacked the knowledge or experience against Sirens to understand anything beyond what he could see from his position.

The two pointed all their guns at the Carrier and released it in salvoes in an All-Out Assault, torpedoes sailing in an arc from Laffey while the shields returned around Indianapolis.

The retaliatory attacks were near instant, gunfire strafing them while bombers tried to hit them, but their own AA guns came back to life, their weapons reloaded before they began to move.

They shot down Siren aircraft after aircraft, Indianapolis' shield bursting and damaging the carrier while they attacked sporadically until Alex called in. "Open up a lane for Long Island, keep their attention on you."

"Understood," Laffey answered while Indianapolis wordlessly nodded, the two circling the carrier, landing shot after shot on its bulk while focusing mostly on the aircraft around them. The two were taking potshots whenever possible, Laffey sending torpedoes while Indianapolis activated her shield whenever possible, and letting it burst near it.

They whittled at its defenses until Long Island called in. "Ready, here we go!"

With a shot of her main guns, Laffey could feel heat course through her, her speed and firepower increasing while her guns reloaded almost instantly. Indianapolis manifested the shields and followed after Laffey, the two making sure the opening is clear for Long Island despite the torn 'hand' on Indianapolis' rigging and Laffey's injuries.

They heard the buzzing and the planes got closer and closer, the two fighting desperately while Long Island's own AA goes off in an attempt to keep her airspace clear.

The bombers gained altitude, slowly moving before they began to dive in formation, the edges of the formation lighting in flames as the bombers were shot down, despite that…

A direct hit.

The Siren aircraft carrier burst into flames, while Laffey and Indianapolis aimed an All-Out Assault at the ship, creating a second explosion as the two skated back from the wreck, breathing heavily while re-grouping with Long Island.

Slowly, Long Island's planes begin to gain air superiority, the Siren aircraft going down like puppets who just had their strings cut. An appropriate comparison, considering the Sirens' abilities.

They were tense, their bodies wound up and their adrenaline still coursing, their Cubes glowing from the combat that they weren't sure was over. Neither wanted to say anything, either because of who they were or out of fear that they might jinx themselves.

There was no answer, but they could hear the distant roar of planes and explosions, and their bodies tensed up. Finally, Laffey called for Alex. "Commander?"

For a dreadful second, there was no response, the worst coming to their minds while they prepared to dash and try to help, only for his voice to interrupt them. "Ughh, fuck me. I need a drink. Some 'shine would be nice."

While Laffey perked up at the mention of what might just be moonshine, Indianapolis asked, "Commander, we've taken down the Siren Carrier."

"That's what I guessed." He said, the smile on his face audible through the connection. "Prince of Wales and Enterprise just got to me, said that the few straggling ships started wandering. They were all set, hidden to come out and probably would've given everyone a scare if we didn't organize ourselves."

The three were silent, the meaning of his words coursing through them. "You mean…" Long Island trailed off, just as shocked as the others.

"I do. Girls, the Siren threat has been repelled, and you three are officially the heroes of the hour." He said, the three glancing at each other with jovial looks in their eyes and exhaustion in their forms. "I managed to go through some files, and Enterprise has confirmed that they are Mass-produced ships."

Their excitement didn't dim down even from the revelation. Of course, none of them were the excitable type to begin with, so the three did the only logical thing. "Ahhhhhh~!" Long Island groaned, slapping against the water while Laffey fell face flat against the water, bubbles appearing from the air while their rigging receded, the full armaments previously shown now reduced to one of their guns visible and other accessories.

Indianapolis flinched while she sat on her seat, floating on mid-air while she looked around. Laffey managed to flip onto her back, no longer in danger of, ironically, drowning and immediately fell asleep.

"… They fell asleep, didn't they, Indy?" Alex asked, a fond and exasperated tone while Indy nodded, turning to the only position where the Commander would be able to see them, atop the radio tower.

"Yeah, want me to wake them?"

"They're tired. I don't blame them, but High Command just called and started reaming me when they couldn't contact us. They'll probably be happy to hear this. That said, carry them, if you will. You've all worked hard, but you're the one with the least damage." He explained while Indianapolis nodded.

"Understood." She said, extending the arms of her rigging around her and cradling both Long Island and Laffey. "Commander?" She asked.

"Hm?" He responded while Indianapolis skated against the water.

"Did we… manage to do something?" Indianapolis asked while Alex was quiet for a second.

"… Not in a way that matters tangibly, but far more conceptually." He said while Indianapolis' expression got flatter, staring at where Alex should be, while he chuckled. "From what I've seen, the Sirens have near-unlimited resources, using materials out of this world through techniques no one understands. This is probably less than a drop in an ocean for them."

His words had Indianapolis pause, aware that quality usually trumps quantity, but…

They struggled in this; none of them nearly died, but this wasn't a walk in the park, as expected, yet they took damage and were pushed to the edge. The idea that they were pushed this far when the enemy has so much more?

It was terrifying.

"Yet, this does bring into play a few questions. Most notably, why here, now, and most importantly, why so little?" Alex said, his voice becoming less clear.

"What do you mean?" Indianapolis asked while Alex hummed.

"This attack can be seen as one of three things: a diversion, an attack, or a test. It can't be a diversion because there are no reports of Siren movement outside of here, yet. It couldn't have been an attack, with how weak the forces in hiding were, so it had to be a test. A shoddy one too." He added while Indianapolis tilted her head.

He must have planned to continue regardless because he continued. "The ships that were hidden didn't amount to much, maybe if everyone was still running around like headless chickens, they'd be afraid, but it'd be momentary. It'd push others to try and attack them if they saw it. They could have been dangerous, but they were more of a show of force rather than an attacking force. Not to mention the ships that made up the fleets you attacked didn't act until you were both in range of each other. Even when Long Island's planes got close, they didn't react. Like they were waiting to see the white of your eyes. Then you fought in an isolated area without much interference from either side, the ships that would have appeared only assured that. The only variable was my orders."

While furthest from the smartest KANSEN, all of them had knowledge they learned that had hem up to standards for their respective country's schooling, as such, Indianapolis understood the experimental process. Ask a question, come up with a hypothesis, perform experiments, and record the results to compare them with the hypothesis.

"Why was this a shoddy one?" Indianapolis asks, Long Island leaning on her palm and listening in, her eyes fluttering open and closed in between listening and nodding.

"Because the one overseeing it probably was never meant to do so, if someone is overseeing it." He added, "Why did they attack us directly? Why not wait for you girls to be out on a sortie or something? It's just off… Or I'm being paranoid."

There was a pause while thy got closer to port and Indianapolis saw someone familiar. "Ignore my inane ramblings and take the day off. You've earned it. All of you."

"Indy~!" Portland yelled, leaping at her while she tried to keep her balance. "I was so worried~!" She yelled through snot-fueled tears while Indianapolis tried to keep her balance.

"Portland-!" Before she could start, she was overwhelmed by people, all of them excited and talking.

"Don't keep them waiting. Tomorrow ain't here yet, but it'll come. Enjoy today." That was all he said before the connection cut, and Indianapolis grimaced.

She just wanted to sleep.

Purifier watched Alex slump atop the radio tower, smiling despite the exhaustion, while she could feel someone calling her. Observer, probably.

It's her fault anyway; if she wanted a perfect test, she should've put Tester up to this. She just did this as quickly as possible. It was easy to hide the Ships around the various islands dotting the area around the Azur Lane base, and she had already simulated it; if Alex wasn't there, they would've panicked and desperately moved, uncoordinated and frantic. They wouldn't have died, and they would have taken care of them easily, but it would have been messy.

Something made Alex special, something that would help them in their goal. Not only their experience, or even the jet, but something… more.

"Well," she hummed, smiling at the human and the other KANSEN trying to hide her presence, "'till next time, Alex." She said, testing out the name, a common one, and she found that it wasn't as bad as she once thought it would be.

The world bent around her before she and her rigging disappeared a second later.

Alex glanced in the direction she had previously been and frowned.

It's there, a feeling in his gut alerted him of something that was there but is gone. He let the radio rest in the room of the radio tower, letting it rest while he released a breath. "That…"

Even in the most absurd in his time, fighting against Yuri, the Sirens seem to spit on the idea of conventional warfare. Even KANSEN aren't better, being young girls with guns that shoot large caliber rounds with the force of something at least ten times its size.

Still, watching it all unravel without much opportunity to study it had him scrambling far more than some of his close calls against Yuri's forces. Sirens are what he's fighting against, and KANSENs are who he's fighting with. Each one has their one abilities and so much more, while his enemies might not truly be his enemies. It was all so confusing.

That said, it was par for the course at this point.

Speaking of par for the course, his hand went to his holster, disengaging the safety of his M1911 and aiming at a corner of the room. "Whoever is there, step out or I will shoot."

The silence within the radio tower's room was suffocating, a presence that didn't belong to him suffusing the area, one he was intimately aware of. After all, they were common in his time as a Commander of the Allied Forces.

Subterfuge, so either a spy, assassin, or something else.

"Forgive me." The voice in the shadows began, slowly stepping out of the shadows to reveal her form. "It seems I got lost cleaning," she added while her clothes became visible, "and ended up here. I didn't notice the mess…" She paused on purpose, her honey amber eyes on him, "I'm sorry, I mean you here."

Alex paused, blinking while wondering if this girl just called him a mess. The girl had her blonde hair in braids while wearing a maid outfit, not looking worried at the gun pointed at her, so that meant…

"You're a KANSEN," he pointed out while the girl's eyes visibly widened in genuine surprise and shock.

"… I didn't know pests were capable of coming to such conclusions." She said, outright insulting him while he lowered the gun, engaged the safety, and slipped it in its holster.

"Now, I know that wasn't an accident." He pointed out, while her expression returned to its impassive state.

"Forgive me, I stuttered." She said, bringing a hand to her mouth, hiding it.

"I doubt that," Alex noted, sitting down on the chair among the radio equipment.

"I mithpoke." She tried again, and Alex rolled his eyes. "Vermin." She added under her breath, looking away when he narrowed his eyes at her.

Slowly, he relaxed, turning to her, "So, who are you, and what brings a member of the Maid Corps here, that is what you and Hermione are in, right?"

"So my colleague has introduced herself. That makes things easier." She said, grabbing her skirt and performing a curtsy, "I'm Sheffield, a Town-class Light Cruiser. Here under orders of Queen Elizabeth to spy… I mean, evaluate Azur Lane's new Commander and assist them with matters concerning the Royal Navy. So, until told otherwise, I will be working under you, pe-." She stopped herself before saying, "Master."

Alex decided to ignore that and ask a more poignant question: "Are you the only one coming?"

"For the moment." She admitted. "While the Eagle Union and Royal Navy are in an alliance, we still have our problems in the Atlantic. We don't have much time to help, sadly."

"Right…" Alex trailed off, sighing. "Well, I was hoping for too much. Well, have you already gotten settled in?"

"Yes," Sheffield confirmed while Alex stood up.

"Well, let's go. There are too many things to do and not enough time to do them." Alex said, stepping away. Sheffield watched him for a while before following after him.

A/N: So, hello everyone. I hope you enjoyed this chapter which I initially thought was going to be shorter. Shows what I know. Anyway, this chapter might get updated some time later since the one who commissioned this wanted it out fairly quickly, admittedly, I'll need to check Enterprise's personality among many.

This is my first time writing a scene like this one, I hope it came out well.

If you want to commission some stories, PM me or you can find my Ko-fi or X/Twitter and DM me to request your own. With that, I hope you enjoyed this story.